Spin Blog

"Or Kiowa teaching a rain dance to Rat Kiley and Dave Jensen, the tree of them whooping and leaping around barefoot while a bunch of villagers looked on with a mixture of fascination and giggly horror. Afterward, Rat said, "So where's the rain?" and Kiowa said, "The earth is slow, but the buffalo is patient," and Rat thought about it and said, "Yeah, but where's the rain?"" (O'Brien 36) (new version)

I think that this passage has a lot to say about the cultural differences between members of the same platoon. Kiowa tries to explain philosophically how although they did the rain dance, they may have to be patient and wait for the rain to come. Like the buffalo, they will have to rely on nature to provide for them eventually. Rat, the stereotypical white man in Kiowa's eyes, inpatient and ignorant of other cultures customs. This may be one of the reason Kiowa seems to still have some resentment for white men. Kiowa, is a stereotypical Native American in Rat's eyes, who dance around for rain and talk constantly about the buffalo. The three of them also get the attention of the natives. It is hard for them to laugh at the men, knowing how destructive they can possibly be. It must be terrifying to watch the men who, at any moment, could burn down your home dancing around like insane people. A strange mix of thoughts and emotions must have been going through their heads.
 

Into the Wild Self Reflection

I spend a lot of time thinking about how my life will go after I graduate from high school. I am confident that I can get into a college that I would like to attend, and I am excited about starting school in a new place. As for the question on whether I am nervous or not, I do not feel too scared for leaving home. I think I do fairly well on my own, and in college there are always many things to do and people to meet that will help me feel more comfortable. The worst part about moving out and going to college will be the first transition period and getting settled in a new place. I have personally seen much dumber and less prepared do perfectly fine in life, so in some way this comforts me that I will end up doing fine. In the novel Into the Wild, Chris is very excited about leaving for his Alaskan trip, and doesn't have any worry's about how he will survive. He is very confident in his own mind on how he will be able to survive. This sort of relates to how I feel about life after college. I am pretty confident on being able to achieve everything I intend to do while in and after college, so there is not much doubt going through my head yet. Plus, I have the support of my friends and family, something that Chris did not have.

"If the bell rings, why should we run?"

In the essay "Why I Went to the Woods" by Henry David Thoreau, this line, along with the context around it really stood out to me. This quote and paragraph discuss the reasons for why we should live more simply and with less stress.

Today, too many people are stressed and depressed over work, relationships, and drama. We let everything get under our skin and bother us, even if it wont affect our lives directly. In Thoreau's mind, we need to care less about things in our lives, and not let everything that enters our lives effect us. This does not mean to disregard everything and loose passion in the important things in our lives, rather focus on what really matters, and brush the small things aside. If one tries this, even in small amounts, they will more freedom, contentment, and a more enjoyable experience. Focusing and cherishing your own life is the first step to happiness and ease.

"If the engine whistles, let it whistle till it is hoarse for its pains. If the bell rings, why should we run?" Thoreau want us to live lives by our own pace and tune. There is no need to create unwanted stress and anxiety in our lives by living in the shadows of others. "Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls onto the rails." Live your own life, and don't let the problems and interests of other's lives intrude on your own. 

Holdens Depressing night

I thought that the night Holden had after getting drunk in New York was extremely strange. When he acts like he got shot, it almost gets a little funny. The fact that he has a history of acting like he got shot in the stomach  when he gets drunk is funny to me. It is so strange that it isn't something somebody could make up off the top of their head. On the way out of the bar, he tries to hit on the hat girl, and when she rejects him he starts to cry. When he goes out into the street, things start to get a little sad. He drops the record he buys for Phoebe and it shatters. This is actually makes the reader feel bad for Holden, as he loves his siblings, unlike almost everybody else in this book. After being outside for a while, his hair actually begins to freeze, and Heloden thinks he is going to die. This actually brings up an importatnt part in the novel. Not only does Holden bring up his own death again, he mentions that he missed his own brothers funeral because he was in the hospital. I thought the imagery was very good in this part, so I drew a picture.

A Call From Holden

Topic: I Holden called you at night in New York, what would you do, and what would you say?

Response: I would have two options if Holden called me at night in New York. My first option would be to altogether attempt to not make contact with Holden. I could answer the phone, and fake a sickness and tell him I was in bed, and am not able to go out for the night. It would have to be a fairly contagious sickness, or perhaps even something with physical attributes, as Holden will most likely attempt to persuade me to come and get some fresh air, or make a lie and claim that he is resistant to the illness. My next plan would be to combine all of the things that Holden hates most into one giant lie and hope that his Hatred for the things would cause him to give up for the night. I would tell him that I was going on a group date with my friends from the Ivy League who were visiting New York for the weekend and wanted to see all that the city had to offer. After searching around downtown for celebrities for several hours, we would attend a sophisticated theater show, and then a romantic movie, both of which we have already purchased  tickets for. If Holden still insisted that he wanted to attend, I would try to find a way to tell him that I would need to call his parents, something that, if was possible, he would have to object to, and not be able to come for the night. The problem with almost all plans is Holden's hypocrisy. Although Holden tells the readers he hates almost everything that he comes across in this story, he routinely will go against his feelings just to be around people, who he also seems to hate.

Playground Nightmare

I do not have a good memory of my childhood and elementary school years. Those memories that I do have seem to be scattered and fragmented. Though I have many memories from my childhood, there are a few that I will never seem to forget.

When I was in kindergarten, my older brothers were sixth graders, the oldest kids in school. There was a short period of time after our classes were over until the rest of the school was dismissed. During this time I would typically stay out on the playground with my best friend and burn some time during the wait. The kindergartners had their own private playground, one secluded from the rest of the school, and off limits to the old kids. On this day, I had played with every part of the playground, from the tattered mini basketball hoops to the plastic slide that shocked you after every use. By now I had reached boredom, and like all small children, wondered and made strange decisions.

I was standing on top of the catwalk betwwen two parts of the playground, with my fruend directly below me. I thought it would be funny if I reached my leg between th railway on the side and kicked him in the head, leaving him dazed and confused on what just happened. I squeezed my leg through the tight vertical bars and got my leg as low as I could before I began to swing for his head.  Unfortunately, I was much too high, and the plan was a bust. I pulled my leg backand stood up, and then it happened. My knee got stuck between two bars and I was unable to move. First came panic. I began to furiously try to yank my knee from the bars. I tried different angles but nothing worked, I was stuck. Soon I began to think of situations of the fire department coming and freeing me with iron jaws. This would make local news and I would be the laughing stock of the school. Next, I yelled for my friend to get the teacher. After a few minutes of waiting my teacher arrived to save me. Five minutes later, I was freed by the teacher and the feeling of relief spread through my body.

I walked away that day with only a few bruises and a fear of metal bars for the rest of my life. I never told anybody what happened that day.

Introduction

My name is Domenic Ruffino, and the purpose of my first post is to let you know a little bit more about me. Yes I am Italian and yes, my dad is a great cook, he used to be a chef and own multiple restaurants.  I am 17 years old, and am a senior at Napa High School. I will turn 18 in November, and start my career as an adult. I have 3 brothers, 2 of whom are twins in college, and a younger brother who is a sophomore. I have 2 pugs who always seem to be on the brink of life. My mother works in the offices at the County of Napa.

During the day I have to go to school. I take hard classes, but I am usually able to get good grades in them. I in no way attribute this to a hard work ethic or great study techniques, I'm actually pretty lazy. My goal for this year is to put more effort and time into school, to avoid the stresses and time crunches I am typically forced under. I know that if i dont end up picking it up, i will be in a bad position for college and future education. My favorite subjects are history and math, and I have never really been able to enjoy a whole year of English. I prefer to write informally rather than informally, and i feel as if i can better express myself this way. As of right now, I would like to major in electrical engineering, and would like to go to college either back east or in southern California.

After school, I am playing sports year round. Football in the summer and fall, basketball in the winter, and track in the spring. I have played sports all of my life, and they are a huge part of my life. The friends I have made, and the times i have had playing sports will always make up for the time, effort, and commitment put into them. In addition to playing sports, i enjoy watching them. The Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco 49ers are my favorite teams.

In my free time I enjoy relaxing as much as i possibly can. I watch alot of TV and movies on the weekend. I enjoy watching comedy shows and movies, and also documentaries. I eat alot and sometimes pretty unhealthy, but i can get away with it as a teenager who does a lot of physical activity. In the past few years, i have started another hobby of hunting. Right now, I typically hunt birds. A lot of my friends hunt, and i recently got a boat, so I am hoping i can go more often and have more fun while doing it.